ISD 728 Releases Demographic Report

On Thursday Nov. 15, Demographer Hazel Reinhardt presented her report related to ISD 728 demographics at the School Board meeting. You can view the presentation, as well as the full report for your convenience and information. While there is a lot of information in the report, the Executive Summary, as well as the information below, provide highlights you might find interesting.

In the past ten years (since 2007-08), district enrollment has grown more than 8 percent

In the next ten years (through 2027-28), district enrollment is projected to grow between 14 percent and 19 percent. (1851 to 2485 more students)

The primary drivers of the growth districtwide: larger numbers of kindergarteners anticipated in the future and an increase in housing developments, especially single-family homes. In fact, more than 2,300 new single-family homes are projected in the next three years.

District growth is focused in the north and south, while the central part of the district is projected to decline somewhat. The net result is between 1,800 and 2,500 additional students projected in our schools in the next ten years.

This overall growth is anticipated even though ISD 728 tends to lose more students to open enrollment than it gains. If that trend were to flip, our growth projections would be even higher.

Given this growth, district leaders should be planning how to expand school capacity to provide appropriate learning spaces for this increase in students. This will be particularly important in the Southern Region and for elementary-aged students.